SEC not opening door to Texas A&M just yet

Updated 11:32 pm, Sunday, August 14, 2011

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman, speaking during Big 12 media days, says that he would like the Aggies’ defensive players to become known for their “fanatical effort to the football.”

Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman, speaking during Big 12 media days, says that he would like the Aggies’ defensive players to become known for their “fanatical effort to the football.”

SEC not opening door to Texas A&M just yet

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COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M's aim of joining the Southeastern Conference took a legal turn Sunday when the league announced that it intends to stick with 12 members for now.

But an A&M official said plans are moving forward for the Aggies to join the SEC and that Sunday's declarations by both the conference and Texas A&M were simply meant to cover the two on the legal front.

The SEC's chairman of its presidents and chancellors, Florida President Bernie Machen, said in a statement: "The SEC president and chancellors met today and reaffirmed our satisfaction with the present 12 institutional alignment. We recognize, however, that future conditions may make it advantageous to expand the number of institutions in the league. We discussed criteria and process associated with expansion.

"No action was taken with respect to any institution including Texas A&M."

The A&M official said that's because the SEC and A&M must clearly establish that the university contacted the SEC about a move, not the other way around, to avoid potential lawsuits from the Big 12 and perhaps TV networks.

"As we have seen over the past several days, there has been a considerable amount of misinformation regarding these discussions and any associated timelines," A&M President R. Bowen Loftin said. "The chairman of our board has indicated that the regents will proceed with (today's) agenda item, which authorizes the president of Texas A&M to take all actions related to athletic conference alignment.

"I will also accept Chairman (Dan) Branch's invitation to participate in his committee's hearing on Tuesday. These are extremely complex issues, and it is imperative that we proceed methodically and in the best interests of Texas A&M."

Loftin was referring to state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education.

The A&M regents are scheduled to hold a teleconference at 3 p.m. today to address "conference alignment."

On Tuesday, Loftin will attend a hearing in Austin organized by Branch on conference alignment.

The A&M official said Sunday night that "the ball is now in the Aggies' court" concerning the university exiting the Big 12 and then requesting admission into the SEC, a request expected to be accepted by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

The official said no timetable has been set on when the move will be finalized or when an announcement will be made.

Meanwhile, South Carolina President Harris Pastides used a suddenly familiar line — the ball is in the Aggies' court — when asked Sunday by the Daily Gamecock if A&M would be joining the SEC.

Pastides also told the paper that the SEC presidents met Sunday to prepare for the possibility of an application and to discuss the necessary steps for possible expansion.

The Aggies are intent on exiting the Big 12. Loftin has expressed displeasure with rival Texas' ESPN-owned, $300 million Longhorn Network — he said July 21 that the network had created "uncertainty" in the Big 12. And A&M has been unhappy with what it perceives as an unstable league.

The A&M official has stressed that the Aggies joining the SEC has more to do with the long-term "security and stability" of the SEC than its overall unhappiness with the Big 12.

Loftin said in July that he understands why so many A&M fans want the Aggies to join the SEC, especially after the league has won the past five football national titles.

A&M nearly left the Big 12 for the SEC in June 2010, after Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big Ten and Colorado departed for the Pac-12.

The Aggies stayed in the fold after Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe made a last-hour pledge of more money for the 10 remaining members thanks to revamped television contracts.

Should A&M join the SEC as planned, the Aggies would become the league's 13th member and be a part of a seven-team SEC West, with the likes of national champion Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas and one-time nonconference rival LSU.

The A&M official said the Aggies hope to begin SEC play in 2012.

The longer it takes to declare the move official, however, likely would hinder the Aggies' chances of starting play in the SEC by next year.

The A&M official has said the Big 12 told A&M that the University of Houston would serve as a viable replacement should the Aggies head east.

The Aggies competed in the now-defunct Southwest Conference from 1915 until 1995 and have been members of the Big 12 since.

The A&M football team, ranked ninth in the preseason coaches poll, continued its preparations Sunday for its Sept. 4 season opener against SMU at Kyle Field amid a steady diet of SEC scuttlebutt.